1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to animal husbandry, and in particular to a portable device for use in connection with weighing, treating and loading livestock.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
In livestock operations it is often necessary to restrain or direct the animals for palpating, immunization, branding, treatment, weighing, loading, etc. Corrals, loading chutes, alleyways and pens have heretofore been constructed and employed by cow-calf operators, steer operators and large animal veterinarians for these purposes. These structures are often constructed permanently of fence materials, such as stone, barbed wire, wood rails, steel pipe and the like. However, the capital investment required for such permanent structures is often prohibitive to decentralized ranch operations, particularly those that run livestock on relatively small, isolated tracks of grazing land. Furthermore, many ranchers lease rather than own their grazing land, and naturally wish to avoid making permanent, fixed improvements.
A common solution to this problem is to physically transport the animals to a location having the necessary permanent, fixed equipment. However, transporting a herd of large animals tends to be relatively time-consuming and expensive. For example, a round trip from a grazing pasture to a treatment area requires loading, unloading and transporting the animals twice. Naturally, the time and expense associated with transporting livestock herds increases with the distance and the number of animals involved.
A solution to the aforementioned problems is to provide portable livestock working equipment. For example, the Lambert U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,157 discloses a portable animal handling unit with retractable transport wheels and a front elevating assembly. The unit provides catching and holding pens, loading and unloading ramps and animal holding passages and chutes for a variety of animal handling operations. The McIntire U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,191 and the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,836 also show portable livestock working equipment.
A disadvantage with many prior art portable animal handling devices is that animals resist entering them. For example, straight chutes such as those shown in the McIntire U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,191 and the Fleming U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,716 have essentially constant, relatively narrow widths, even though large animals tend to balk at entering narrow, confining structures. Often it is desirable to provide fence sections that converge towards the entrance to a relatively narrow loading chute or alleyway so that the animals can be funneled into the equipment. For example, the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,836 shows portable corral configurations with funnels for directing animals into relatively narrow passageways.
A related problem is that large animals can be hazardous to workers trying to direct them into such equipment. Animals that are unaccustomed to confinement frequently balk at entering confining structures and may even panic. In spite of the availability of cattle prods, whips and the like, workers can be kicked, gouged and trampled by the livestock. Many of the prior art animal working structures provide little or no protection from such hazards.
Heretofore, there has not generally been available a livestock working device with the advantages and features of the present invention.